Search

In this paper, we investigate a two-echelon, two-product Supply Chain (SC) inspired by a real-world production/distribution firm, in which the product change-over time, necessary to switch from a product to another, induces a variable capacity in the factory. Such a varying production capacity is further exacerbated by the machine breakdowns that may occur in the manufacturing system. Since the two products share the same production system, a production planning rule has to be executed to decide the change-over, i.e. to select the product to be manufactured over time. An extended experimental campaign has been performed to investigate how the fill rate and the standard deviation of inventories vary as a series of operational and tactical parameters changes. Several ANOVA analyses revealed a strong interaction between the production planning model and the adopted smoothing replenishment strategy, which remarkably affects the performance of the SC. Interestingly, a higher value of the proportional controller negatively affects the service levels since the adopted production planning policy, under these circumstances, tends to encourage longer production runs for a certain product and, consequently, persistent stock outs for the other one. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In species with biparental care, coordination of parental behaviour between pair members increases reproductive success. Coordination is difficult if opportunities to communicate are scarce, which might have led to the evolution of elaborate nest relief rituals in species facing a low predation risk. However, whether such conspicuous rituals also evolved in species that avoid predation by relying on crypsis remains unclear. Here, we used a continuous monitoring system to describe nest relief behaviour during incubation in an Arctic‐breeding shorebird with passive nest defence, the Semipalmated Sandpiper Calidris pusilla. We also explored whether behaviour of exchanging parents informs about parental coordination and predicts incubation effort. We found that incubating parents vocalized twice as much before the arrival of their partner than during other times of incubation. In at least 75% of exchanges, the incubating parent left the nest only after its partner had returned and initiated the nest relief. In these cases, exchanges were quick (25 s, median) and shortened over the incubation period by 0.1–1.4 s/day (95% CI), suggesting that parents became more synchronized. However, nest reliefs were not cryptic. In 90% of exchanges, at least one parent vocalized, and in 20% of nest reliefs the incubating parent left the nest only after its returning partner called incessantly. In 27% of cases, the returning parent initiated the nest relief with a call; in 39% of these cases, the incubating partner replied. If the partner replied, its following off‐nest bout was 1–4 h (95% CI) longer than when the partner did not reply, which corresponds to an 8–45% increase. Our results indicate that incubating Semipalmated Sandpipers, which rely on crypsis to avoid nest predation, have quick but acoustically conspicuous nest reliefs. Our results also suggest that vocalizations during nest reliefs may be important for the coordination and division of parental duties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Uninterrupted power supply is an electrical device that provides emergency power to a load when the input power source, typically the utility mains fails or whenever the line voltage varies outside normal limits. Obviously, uninterrupted power supply (UPS) is an indispensable power unit in every size of establishment. Its features such as noiseless working condition, availability of storage elements, numerous system compatibility, etc. have not in any way marred its acceptance. This device is really dominating computer establishments in most developing countries. It has also been found useful in many other applications in big industries, homes offices, industries and religious centers and places of worship for continuous sustainability of energy supplied to electronic gadgets. The stages of the design were divided into sections. The UPS was switched ON, the bulb started to glow, and the UPS worked properly. The components of the UPS such as MOSFET transistor, relay, inverter, transformer and change over circuit were working properly and efficiently. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVES: Short time between consecutive work shifts (quick returns, ie, ≤11 hours between shifts) is associated with sleepiness and fatigue, both of which have been linked to risk of injury. This paper aims to study quick returns between work shifts and risk of injury among Danish hospital workers. METHOD: The study population included 69 200 employees, primarily working at hospitals, corresponding to 167 726 person years at risk between 2008–2015. Information on working hours was obtained from payroll data in the Danish Working Hour Database and linked, at an individual level, with data on 11 834 injury records identified in the National Patient Register and the Danish Register of Causes of Death. Multivariate Poisson regression models were used to calculate incidence rate ratios (IRR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI). RESULTS: Results showed the shorter the time between shifts, the higher the risk of injury. Thus, an elevated risk of injury was observed after quick returns compared with the standard 15–17 hours between shifts (IRR 1.39, 95% CI 1.23–1.58). Furthermore, when assessing the number of days since a quick return, the risk of injury was especially high within the first two days (day 1: IRR 1.39, 95% CI 1.23–1.58; day 2: IRR 1.39, 95% CI 1.21–1.58) following a quick return. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that quick returns increased the risk of injury, in particular within the first two days following a quick return. These findings point towards avoiding or reducing the number of quick returns in order to lower employees’ risk of injury.

Objectives Short time between consecutive work shifts (quick returns, ie, =11 hours between shifts) is associated with sleepiness and fatigue, both of which have been linked to risk of injury. This paper aims to study quick returns between work shifts and risk of injury among Danish hospital workers. Method The study population included 69 200 employees, primarily working at hospitals, corresponding to 167 726 person years at risk between 2008-2015. Information on working hours was obtained from payroll data in the Danish Working Hour Database and linked, at an individual level, with data on 11 834 injury records identified in the National Patient Register and the Danish Register of Causes of Death. Multivariate Poisson regression models were used to calculate incidence rate ratios (IRR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI). Results Results showed the shorter the time between shifts, the higher the risk of injury. Thus, an elevated risk of injury was observed after quick returns compared with the standard 15-17 hours between shifts (IRR 1.39, 95% CI 1.23-1.58). Furthermore, when assessing the number of days since a quick return, the risk of injury was especially high within the first two days (day 1: IRR 1.39, 95% CI 1.23-1.58; day 2: IRR 1.39, 95% CI 1.21-1.58) following a quick return. Conclusions Our results suggest that quick returns increased the risk of injury, in particular within the first two days following a quick return. These findings point towards avoiding or reducing the number of quick returns in order to lower employees' risk of injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 2008 elections in Ghana reflect the democratic health of a country that has opted for an exemplary political change-over. Two trends shape the electoral geography that arises from the votes: the upholding of the ethno-regional bastions of the two dominant parties, and the swing of four regions to the opposition party, which shows complex developments on a local scale mainly due to socio-economic factors.

Abstract: Ninety-six female pigs with an initial body weight (BW) of 10.0±1.6kg were assigned to 4 dietary treatments to determine the effects of restricting dietary phosphorus (P) level during the weaner-grower [approximately 10 to 50kg BW; day (d) 0 to 59] and finisher (approximately 50 to 100kg BW; d 59 to 131) period on growth performance, serum osteocalcin concentration, bone development and calculated P utilization. The dietary treatments were: (1) 4.0gtotalP (tP)/kg from d 0 to 131 (LL); (2) 4.0gtP/kg from d 0 to d 59 and 6.0gtP/kg from d 59 to 131 (LH); (3) 6.0gtP/kg from d 0 to 131 (HH) and (4) 6.0gtP/kg from d 0 to 59 and 4.0gtP/kg from d 59 to 131 (HL). During the weaner-grower period (d 0 to 59), pigs offered high P diets had higher daily gain (P <0.001), feed intake (P <0.05), P intake (P <0.001), bone ash (P <0.05) and serum osteocalcin concentration (P <0.05) compared to pigs offered low-P diets. Pigs offered LH, HH and HL diets had higher average daily gain compared to pigs offered LL diet from d 59 to 131 (P <0.01). Pigs offered LL diet had a lower carcass weight compared to pigs offered LH, HH and HL diets on d 131 (P <0.05). Pigs offered LL diet had a lower bone ash (P <0.05), bone P (P <0.01) and bone calcium (P <0.05) concentration than pigs offered LH, HL and HH diets on d 131. Pigs offered LH diet had higher concentration of osteocalcin compared to pigs offered LL (P <0.01), HH (P <0.05) and HL (P <0.05) diets on d 88 and 108. In conclusion, compensatory effect occurred in growth performance and bone mineral concentration at the termination of the finisher stage when high P was introduced at the initiation of the finisher stage, following consumption of a low-P diet during the weaner-grower stage. However, pigs offered LH diet did not surpass the level of growth performance or bone mineralization achieved by pigs offered HH diet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]